The Crescent Isle
by Loon Boon
Summary: My guard dropped, however, when a small Riolu popped out of the undergrowth. I knew that Riolu and Lucario weren't native to Hoenn, so I was surprised and interested when he stepped out in front of me, then tripped on an exposed root and fell on his face. He then asked, "Excuse me, but are you the Absol I'm looking for?"


I'd lived with my trainer in Lilycove city for years. They'd found me just before I'd hatched, and raised me to adulthood, and even after that, I remained with her. Her name was Lindsey, and she was the most wonderful person a Pokémon could be with.

She had taught me to read and speak English, in case I needed to explain an emergency or something.

I often spent many nights curled up on the couch with the fireplace going, keeping us warm through the night, or watching movies on the old projection TV.

Then, something happened, just over a year ago.

I hadn't even foreseen it, so I was quite surprised when Lindsey grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and practically threw me into the back room.

A couple minutes after that...

"No, please, just take whatever you want, just leave us alone!" She pleaded with someone who's voice I couldn't place.

"Shut the hell up." The intruder said, and I could hear a sharp smack and a cry of pain from Lindsey. I was close to the rear exit in case I needed to run.

I could hear her shaking. She shook when she was scared.

The intruder walked past the room where I was hidden and into Lindsey's bedroom. He could hear him rummaging through the room, and when he couldn't find what he was looking for, he let out a cry of frustration.

"Damnit!" He yelled, and there was a dull _thud_ , probably him kicking the wall or the dresser. He stormed back out of the room.

"Where is it?!" He yelled, and Lindsey could only sob in fear, unable to speak.

There was a gunshot, and her crying stopped.

At that exact moment, I burst out of the back room, and bolted out the rear exit.

I was terrified. Terrified of the man with the gun

Terrified of the man who'd killed Lindsey with the twitch of his index finger.

I couldn't say how long I had run. Just that I'd passed many cities, many trainers who'd tried to capture me, but failed, many pokémon that paid barely any mind to me.

When I finally did collapse of exhaustion, I could only say that I was likely close to Verdanturf city. No one was really close to where I was.

I was okay with that.

I had been okay with it for the past year, barely speaking to anyone. I tried to practice my English as much as possible, but I had no one to practice with.

But today, I saw something changing in the near future. Just how near that future was, I wasn't quite sure. Until that future happened two minutes after I saw it.

 _Crack_. I quickly stood up and bared my teeth, a growl rising in my throat.

 _Crack. Crack._ Whoever was approaching was picking up speed. I lowered myself slightly, ready to attack if I needed to.

My guard dropped, however, when a small Riolu popped out of the undergrowth. I knew that Riolu and Lucario weren't native to Hoenn, so I was surprised and interested when he stepped out in front of me, then tripped on an exposed root and fell on his face.

I gasped slightly, then stepped forward to help him up. He simply grabbed my horn and used it to pulled up himself to his paws. He made eye contact, his deep red eyes boring into mine.

He then asked, "Excuse me, but are you the Absol I'm looking for?"

I blinked. "I… why would anyone be looking for me?" _Were the authorities finally looking for me?_

"My mama told me to look for an Absol who was suffering. Are you that Absol?"

"I… I don't know." I sat down. _Goodness, he's so small. Should he be away from his mother at his age? Why would his mother want him to look for a suffering Absol?_

"I can feel your anger. Your fear. I think you are the Absol I'm looking for." He said, then walked right up to me again. I backed up slightly out of reflex, but he only approached more.

"Do you have a name, other than Absol?" He asked. _I haven't used the name since…_

"Micah." I finally said, and the Riolu grinned widely.

"Micah. Micah. I like your name!" He said excitedly, then stood up, his tail wagging.

 _Odd little Riolu…_

"Thanks…" I replied, a bit confused. "What about you?"

"Oh. Whoops. I'm Lune!" The Riolu said, even more excited. It was like no one had really asked for his name. Odd.

"Well. Did your mother say what to do when you found me?" I asked, almost jokingly. I felt better now than I had for the entirety of this past year. At least, until I heard his response.

"Find the crescent isle." _Is that…? Cresselia?_

I sat down, trying to formulate a plan for how to even get there.

"Okay… let me see if I can remember where everything is… yeah. Out best bet is to go along the coast, through Rustboro, then Petalburg and Oldale. Then down to Staleport to get a boat to Pacifidlog. After that, then… well, I don't know. I've never been to Crescent Isle, nor do I even know where it is."

"Well, that's okay! We can just ask around!" Lune said, and I nodded.

"I'm assuming you don't know English." I said, and he shook his head.

"Not a lick." I thought for a moment after this. Then, I had an idea.

"Well, I'm a bit rusty, but I could probably teach you. I might not be a great teacher-" Lune cut me off.

"Really? You'll teach me?" He asked, and I smiled slightly.

"Yeah, I'll try." I said. I then looked around a little, catching the scent of the nearby city. "Let's go to Verdanturf first to see if we can learn anything, alright?" Lune nodded.

"Okay, sounds like a plan!" He replied, and started walking. I trotted after him, as he was actually quite fast.

I was closer to the city than I'd anticipated. The walk was quite short, and we still had plenty of daylight when we arrived at a Pokémon center. I noticed that I a few odd looks when I walked in, being an Absol and all, but that fact that I was with a young Riolu only made it stranger.

The lady behind the main counter looked over at us, and a kind smile crept onto her face. "Hello, how may I help you two?"

" _I… I was wondering if you had any… information on the Crescent Isle._ " I asked in rough English.

"Oh, you speak English!" She exclaimed, and anyone within earshot looked quite surprised as well. "Well… all I know is that it's south and a bit west of Ever Grande city." She said, and I nodded.

" _Thank… thank you._ " I said, and she nodded.

"Happy to help!" She said cheerfully, then seemed to think of something. She ducked under the counter a bit, then pulled out two small scarves. One was a jet black, the other a bright Scarlet. She walked around the counter and towards Lune. She tied the red scarf around his neck, then started to walk to me. I backed away slightly, but I forced myself to stay still. After a moment, she slowly tied the black scarf around my neck. Not to tight, not to loose.

"There, now no one is going to try and capture you." She said with a chuckle, then walked back behind the counter.

I looked down at Lune, who was busy admiring his new neckwear. "Should we go?" I asked him, and he jumped a bit. After he registered what I'd asked him, he nodded with a wide grin. I started trotting out of the pokémon center, Lune close behind me.

"So, south and west of Ever Grande…" I muttered. _I'll need to look at a map of Hoenn to really be able to predict where it is._

I decided to not think about that for the moment, and started walking towards Rustboro city.


End file.
